Tales From the Academy
by Romanadvoratrelundar the first
Summary: Stories from the Time Lord Academy. From getting into trouble to serious musings. I wrote about Romana's academy days because I felt that area had a lot of potential.
1. Time Lord Fun

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

'I can't believe I let you talk me into this.'

Romana's roommate looked at her with a grin' Come on, you need to learn to have a little fun.' It was one of those rare days when they didn't have any classes. The tutors were occupied with something so the students had been told to stay in their rooms and behave. Saffron , never one to sit still, had quickly invented a new game.

' This is still a terrible risk, what if one of the tutors comes?'

'Relax, nobody is going to find out. They're all so busy with that 'emergency' in the biology lab.'

From the other end of the hallway, the other team signaled that they were ready.

'All right, here we go.' Saffron pulled on her googles and jumped into the hover chair. She grabbed her stick and indicated that they were ready.

'We're going to be in so much trouble.' Romana muttered half-heartedly as she started pushing the chair, feeling it accelerate. She gave the chair a final shove and watched as the two chairs rushed towards each other. Suddenly they juddered to a stop, sending the two young Time Lords flying into each other.

Howls of laughter echoed around the empty corridor, punctuated by the groans of the bedraggled youths sprawled on the floor.

Suddenly a voice cuts through the laughter, leaving a silence so complete that you could hear the rapid beating of 8 hearts.' What are you doing?'

'Detention for a week.' Romana groaned as they lie in bed that night.Tutor Braxiatel had marched them to his office and given them a lecture on the importance of responsibility, how future Time Lords were not supposed to have make-shift jousting matches with 'chariots' that didn't even work properly. Saffron had giggled a bit during that bit, but their tutor's look had shut her up. 'Saffron, are you awake?' Romana whispered. 'I told you this would happen. I told you ...' But her friend had already fallen asleep, worn out by the day's excitement.


	2. The Art Of Deception

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Romana sighed as she checked the data pad propped against the arm of her chair. Saffron, who was sitting next to her, looked like she was going out of her mind with boredom. Tutor Braxiatel was reading some long article and looked like he was completely absorbed, but she knew that he had his ears trained on them.

'How many more do we have to do?' Saffron piped up suddenly.

' How many have you done now?'

'I've done about 10. How about you, Romana ?'

'I've finished 20.'

'Why am I not surprised? You could finish sooner if you didn't constantly stop to chat . Now I suggest you continue your work, quietly.' Tutor Braxiatel put an emphasis on the last word before returning to his article.

'But what's the point of this? You're going to go through all this work again, to make sure we didn't give incorrect grades or try to settle personal grudges.'

Braxiatel sighed inwardly, the problem with these two was that they they were too smart. The work that the tutors assigned was like child's play to them, leaving them with a lot of spare time. He had hoped that by making them help him grade the student's work he could burn off that restless energy.

'The point is for you to have something to do instead of running around the Academy getting into trouble. Now be quiet, if I hear another word then you're going to do Romana's share in addition to your own.'

A few moments of silence follow, then a whistle pierced the air. Saffron looked quite pleased with herself while Romana laughed.

Tutor Braxiatel looked up and fixed Saffron with his blue eyes.' Perhaps I was unclear with that last comment. If either of you make one more sound, then I will have that person grade the entire class's work for a month. Understood?'

They both nod, then look around as the doors opened. A man poked his head in, ' Tutor Braxiatel, could I have a word outside?'

Braxiatel stood up and headed towards the chair, aware of the student's gaze as he stepped outside and closed the door.

'Tutor Braxiatel, you are needed in the main conference room.'

' All right, could you watch the students for me?'

'Those two? How much trouble can they be?'

Braxiatel called back as he walked off' More than you can imagine.'

Saffron and Romana stopped fidgeting as the door opened, but relaxed slightly as they realize it's not their tutor. A young man crossed the room and sat behind the desk.

'Where's Tutor Braxiatel?' Romana asked.

'Your tutor was called away and he asked me to keep an eye on you.'

'Are you new here, sir? I don't think I've seen you before.' Saffron cocked her head.

'That's right. I've only just arrived. My name's Ransell.'

The students exchanged a look and a devious glint crept into Saffron's eyes. ' Since you're new here, would you like us to show you around, sir?' She asked in a voice as sweet as honey.

Ransell hesitated,'I don't know, I'm not sure your tutor would approve.'

'Oh he wouldn't mind at all. Right, Romana?'

'Right, Tutor Braxiatel is very understanding.'

'I could go and ask him if it's alright.'

'That wouldn't be very wise, sir.' Saffron interjected quickly. 'He could be in a very important meeting. You wouldn't want to make a bad impression by interrupting .'

'I suppose that's true.'

'We won't tell anybody, sir. The other tutors don't like to waste time showing someone around, especially since they're all so busy with their own students. They would be impressed that you learnt your way around without any help.' Romana gave it a final push.

Ransell contemplated for a few moments. ' All right, lead the way.' So they led him around the Academy, when they reached the library the two youngsters wove around the huge stacks and disappeared through a side door. Leaving a very confused Ransell behind.


	3. A Lovely Surprise

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Romana rubbed her face with a towel as they get ready for bed. Saffron was lying in bed fiddling with her data pad, doing research for her temporal engineering class.

'Romana, do you like music?'

'Yes, why are you asking?'

'I have a surprise for you.'

All of a sudden music fileds the room, soft and gentle.

Romana poked her head out, the towel hanging around her neck. 'What did you do?' She asked with a smile.

'I may or may not have found my way into the Academy's broadcasting system.' Saffron replied with a grin.

'You mean...'

'Music is currently playing throughout the entire Academy.'

'You really shouldn't have. The tutors will be able to trace it back to you. You'll get into trouble again.'

Saffron chuckled,' The signal is encrypted. It will appear to be a malfunction in the system. Nobody will suspect it was me .'

Romana gave a sigh of content as she climbed into bed. They lay there for a while, listening to the music, not saying anything. Eventually Saffron reached out and turned the music off, then reached over and turned out the light. They both burrow into the warm sheets.

'Goodnight, Romana,'

'Sweet dreams, Saffron.'


	4. Ice Maiden

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Saffron looked up as the door opened.Romana trudged in and flopped down on her bed. 'Do I seem cold and distant to you?' she asked after a while.

Saffron shook her head.'Not really. You're a bit shy but that's not the same as being cold. I'd say you were a lovely person.'

Romana sighed and propped herself up on her elbows. 'I heard some of the other students talking about me. They thought they were whispering but I heard everything. They were calling me the Ice Maiden.'

Saffron couldn't stop herself from letting out a snort. Romana glared at her friend. 'It's not funny.'

'I'm sorry, but yours really isn't that bad. You should hear the names they call me. They make Ice Maiden sound like a compliment.'

Romana stared at her friend in wonder. Saffron had worse nicknames and yet she was still so chipper all the time. 'Don't you ever worry about the things they call you?'

Saffron shrugged.'Not really. I am what I am and there's nothing I can do about it, so why waste time worrying? Being sad and depressed wouldn't help either. As for the other students, they're so set in their ways I wouldn't expect them to change. I'm happy being the way I am.'

Romana chuckled.'When did you became so wise?'

Saffron slapped leg in mock horror.'I must be getting old.'

'You're barely 100.'

'I'll be 200 before you know it. Now if you've finished sulking. Can you come and hold this part steady?'

'Did you cheer me up just so I could help you?'

Saffron's eyes glinted with amusement. 'Maybe.'


	5. What Did I Just Say

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

"Romanadvoratrelundar, are you paying attention?"

Romana put down the pen she had been playing with and looked up. To be honest, she had only been half listening to Tutor Braxiatel. She had tried to listen, she really had, but it had become dreadfully hard since she already knew all this stuff.

"Of course I was paying attention." She tucked her long brown hair behind her ear.

"In that case, perhaps you could repeat what I just said."

"You said and I quote'Romanadvoratrelundar, are you paying attention?'"

The previously quiet class dissolved into shrieks of laughter. Braxiatel's lips twitched and he tried to maintain a straight face.

"Alright , very amusing. Now settle down before I receive another complaint about my class being too loud."


	6. A Case Of Mistaken Identity

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Saffron twisted her hair and tried to get as much water out as possible. She had been swimming at the lake, which wasn't really allowed at the Academy. Skipping classes wasn't exactly tolerated either but since she had such good grades they might be more lenient. At most she'd get a few hours of detention, which unbeknownst to the tutors, was when she came up with all her best schemes.

She crept into the Academy and closed the door as quietly as possible. Now all she had to do was sneak into her room and no one would be any the wiser. She turned a corner and nearly slammed into someone.

"Pay a little attention, will you?"

Saffron looked up and saw a young man standing in front her. The man's eyes widened when he saw her. "I don't believe my luck." He walked around her, studying her intently.

Saffron felt a bit self conscious. "What do you mean?" She wasn't sure if he was one of the senior staff, if he was then she was in serious trouble.

The man didn't seem to have heard her. " This must be right, she looks just like the Imperatrix." He muttered to himself.

'Imperiatrix?" Saffron was starting to think he had mental issues. She made to duck around him but the man suddenly rounded on her. Grabbing her throat, he pinned her against the wall. Saffron struggled but couldn't break free. The man was applying enough pressure to render her immobile,but not enough to choke her.

"Madame president Romanadvoratrelundar" The man said, pronouncing each word slowly. Some of Saffron's panic disappeared, this had something to do with her friend. "I'm afraid you're mistaken.I'm not..." She coughed as the man squeezed." Be quiet. You can't worm your way out of this one.' There was a harsh glint in his eyes and Saffron gulped. He was beyond reason.

"If I kill you now, then the future...Yes, I think that's about right." He started rummaging in his pockets, muttering to himself again. "Now where's my staser?"

Saffron's hearts started beating harder. She had to get away from him. She shifted her leg, a solid kick in the right place should do the trick. As if he had read her thoughts, the man tightened his grip." Don't even think about it."

All of a sudden someone grabbed him from behind and yanked him away. Saffron coughed and tried to get her breath back. Her tutor was standing in front of her, glaring at the young man.

"I've never seen him look so angry. His eyes were blazing."

"So what happened next?" Romana prompted.

"I don't know. He wouldn't let me stay and sent me off to class."

Romana ran hand through her hair. "Did he really say Madame President?"

"That's what I heard. Of course, he could have been delusional."

Romana stays silent. She had to admit she wanted to be president, but was that the sort of president she wanted to be?

Saffron noticed and smiled. " I bet you could be a good president. Like Tutor Braxiatel always said' The future isn't set in stone.


	7. What Are Time Lords Afraid Of

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Her footsteps echoed around the empty corridor. She thought she knew the Academy by heart, but nothing seemed familiar. She turned a corner and suddenly saw a Dalek in the distance. She turned and tried to run, but her legs had suddenly become as heavy as lead. She could hear the Daleks rolling towards her. With a mighty effort, she hauled herself around the bend. This was supposed to be the lab area, but there was nothing but a dead end. Doors lined either side, she willed her legs to work, but everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

"Halt!" The Dalek's metallic voice sounded in her ear. She whipped around, it had already reached her. She heard it scream "Exterminate", there was a flash of blue light...,

Romana snapped open her eyes, for a moment she couldn't remember where she was. She sat up and looked around the dark room, then she remembered. She was in bed, in her dorm, in the Academy.

Romana realized she was drenched in sweat and her hair was a tangled mess. The dream had been so vivid, she could still hear the screeching of the Dalek. She thought about waking her roommate, but Saffron was fast asleep. The covers rising and falling in time to her gentle breathing. It wouldn't do her any good being woken up in the middle of the night. She needed to rest if her leg was to heal quickly.

Trying hard to slow the rapid beating of her hearts. Romana sank back into bed and pulled the covers around her. "It was only a dream."She whispered to herself. "It was only a dream."


	8. A Brief Encounter

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Romana swallowed as she saw the Time Lord striding towards her. The insignia on his robes and the confident way he walked were unmistakable. He was one of the senior staff. She quickly dropped her gaze and pretended to be reading her book. The older Time Lord stopped in front of her and waited. Finally Romana couldn't pretend any longer. She looked up and instantly wished she hadn't. He had piercing eyes that seemed to bore straight through her.

'Romanadvoratrelundar?' His voice was smooth and silky, with a menacing undertone. Romana tried to stop her own voice from shaking as she answered.'Yes, sir.'

'I understand that there has recently been an incident. Wine was stolen from the Chancellor's personal repository.' Romana gulped, she was dead. ' I know you were involved, but I don't believe you were acting alone. Who are your accomplices?' Romana remained silent. Her hearts were torn. She wasn't going to betray her friends, but lying to a senior member of the staff could, they say, lead to terrible punishment.

The man regarded her, his gaze reminded Romana of a snake. Finally he spoke. 'If you are unwilling to tell me, then I'm afraid I will have to obtain the information by less pleasant means. Come.' He ordered. Romana had no choice but to obey.

Despite herself, Romana was shaking with fear. She had a nasty feeling that this was going to end badly. Other students caught sight of the man and hurriedly fled. That simply increased the feeling of dread in her hearts.

Romana was starting to think she was doomed when the man suddenly stopped. She looked up to see her tutor standing in front of them, blocking the man's way.

'You. 'The man spluttered. 'What are you doing here?'

'I could ask you the same thing.' Braxiatel replied with an air of nonchalance.

The man straightened his robes and regained his composure. 'I'm investigating the wine theft and I believe this student has information regarding the incident.'

Braxiatel's gaze swept over Romana and she ducked her head, not meeting his gaze.

'Romana, go to your lessons. We'll discuss this later.' His voice was firm, the kind of tone that implied there was to be no arguing. Romana looked at the senior member uneasily. Normally when Braxiatel used such a tone her and her classmates would comply, but to directly contradict a senior member of the staff...

'Romana' His tone was harder now, with an edge to it' You are under my supervision and you will do as I tell you to.' She instinctively took a step back, this was a tone he seldom took with his students.

Braxiatel must have noticed, for he took a deep breath and when he spoke again his tone was softer. 'Go. You'll be late for your lessons.'

Braxiatel turned to the other Time Lord when he was certain Romana had gone. 'Koschei, what a pleasant surprise.'

'My name is the Master.' The other Time Lord snapped.

Braxiatel snorted. 'Fine, if that's the way you want it. What are you doing here then, Master?' He said the last word with obvious disdain.

'Hiding from the High Council.' The Master growled.

Braxiatel suppressed the urge to laugh. 'This was the best place you could think of? You know I'll have to inform the High Council that you're here.'

The Master blinked, light seemed to spill from his eyes. 'No, you don't.' He whispered in a soft voice. 'I was never here.'

'That's not going to work.' Braxiatel snapped, fending off his attempt with ease. 'You're not the only one who knows hypnotism, you know.'

The Master seemed to falter. 'What are you going to do, turn me in?'

'Yes, but I might take a while. So I suggest you leave while you can.'

The Master nodded. 'Maybe I'll go find the Doctor.'

It took all of Braxiatel's self-control not to react at the mention of his brother. He closed his eyes, when he opened them the Master was gone.


	9. The Great Escape

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

 **This story is based on something me and my friends once did.**

It was a typical day in the Academy. In the corridor, a head popped out and looked around.

After a few moments about 20 figures filed out. Slinking along the wall, they headed down the hallway. The leader takes e few step and then suddenly stops.

'What's wrong?' Someone asked in the back. 'There are too many classrooms. We'll be seen.'

The leader whispered. The students turned and crept toward the back stairs.

'Tutor.'

There was a moment of panic as the students turned and rushed back up the stairs. They had rushed up a few flights before the ones in the lead came to a stop.

Breathing hard, they came back down and peered around the turn. 'That tutor was at least 50 feet away.' Somebody whispered, causing the group to laugh.

Finally they made it back to the dorm area. The students huddled in an alcove, tutors kept coming and going, making it impossible to sneak past.

One of the students made an attempt to sneak into their dorm, barely making it back as a tutor appeared out of nowhere.

At long last they made it back to their dorms, after almost getting caught while trying to unlock the door.

The next day their tutor showed them something before class, their little adventure had been captured by the security cameras.


	10. Let Sleeping Cats Lie

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Romana scowled as she felt someone poking her. 'What?' She turned and mouthed.

Saffron pointed to the front of the class. 'Look at what Tutor Braxiatel is doing.' She whispered.

Romana looked and saw that their tutor was bending over a sleeping figure. He had something in his hand, but it was too small to make out.

She watched as he stuffed the object in his pocket and sauntered back to his desk.

He waited until the boy who had been sleeping woke up and asked him to write his answers on the board.

As the boy finished and turned to go, the class erupted into shrieks of laughter. Romana wiped away tears of laughter. He had a pair of crude cat whiskers drawn on to his face.

The class howled their approval and the boy's face turned red. He stared down in embarrassment.

Tutor Braxiatel's voice cut through the racket, somehow managing to sound perfectly serious.

'You'll have to forgive my lack of drawing skills.'


	11. Blind

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Saffron fidgeted as the matron shined a torch into her eye. 'Can you see this?' She shook her head. She couldn't see anything out of her right eye.

The matron tutted under her breath.' It's not looking good. We might not be able to save that eye.'

Saffron's hearts skipped a beat.' Are...are you sure there's nothing you can do?'

The matron shook her head. 'I'm afraid so. We might be able to save the other one, if we take the infected one out before the infection spreads.'

Saffron hadn't been expecting this. She knew the eye was getting worse since she kept bumping into walls. It wasn't until Romana had joked that she wasn't a guide dog that she knew she couldn't put it off any longer.

She started backing towards the door. She'd rather have two eyes, even if one of them didn't work. The matron advanced, talking in a slow and soothing voice. 'It's okay. It'll be alright.' She stretched out her arm. Saffron took one look at her and ran out the door.

Navigating with one eye proved more difficult than she thought. Saffron kept misjudging turns and hitting the wall. She also had to constantly turn her head to make sure they didn't sneak up on her blind side.

Suddenly someone loomed in front of her, Saffron recognized him as one of the few Time Lords who worked in the medical wing. She tried to avoid him, but her poor judge of distance caused her to slam right into him.

The Time Lord pinned her arms behind her back as he half shoved her down the corridor. Saffron dug her heels into the floor as they approached the door of the medical wing. Her captor didn't even blink as he hauled her into the room.

Saffron froze as the matron approached with a needle in her hand. Her eyelids began to feel heavy as the liquid was injected into her arm. The world, or what little of it she could see, became blurry and then faded to black.

Saffron opened her eyes, or at least she thought she did. She couldn't see anything. There was something wrapped around her eyes, a blindfold. Her hearts sank, so they had done it after all. She put her head down and pretended to be asleep when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

'I thought she would be awake by now.'

It was the voice of the head matron.

'Perhaps your student used too much anesthetic .'

The head matron huffed. 'Don't talk to me about her. Why she made such a decision on her own instead of consulting me first I'll never know.'

'At least there was no harm done.' Tutor Braxiatel went on.

'Yes, I suppose so. Now if you will excuse me I have other patients to tend to.'

Saffron heard the matron's footsteps die away as she walked off. Tutor Braxiatel waited for a moment, then sat down beside her.

'You can stop pretending now. I know you heard all that.'

Saffron managed to maneuver herself into an upright position, keeping her hands on the bed. 'No harm done? Easy for you to say. You're not the one with only one eye.'

She heard her tutor chuckle softly. 'What's so funny?' She growled.

'They didn't do it. The head matron came in as they were about to perform the operation. Your blindness is only temporary. You still have two eyes.'

Saffron turned her bead towards the sound of voice.'I don't believe you. If I haven't lost my eye. Why do I have to wear this?' She gestured to the blindfold.

'Your blindness is the result of an airborne disease. That blindfold is to prevent further infection.'

Saffron still wasn't sure she believed him.

'If this is the result of a disease. Why hasn't anyone else been infected ?'

Tutor Braxiatel sounded bemused. 'Of course others have been infected. You were simply the first one. After your condition was discovered, all students were checked and a few were found to be in various stages of infection.'

Saffron heard the bed creak as Tutor Braxiatel got up. She felt him brush her hair back.' Trust me. You'll be fine.'


	12. My Lord President

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

It was a summer day in the Academy. Classes always seemed to drag on forever in summer afternoons. Romana glanced enviously at Saffron, who was sitting by the window and had the luxury of occasional breezes. Her own brown hair wasn't long enough to tie up and simply made the summer heat more unbearable.

Even Tutor Braxiatel looked like he'd rather be staying in his quarters than teaching. The heavy,sleepy silence was broken by the sound of someone mumbling.

'I'm Lord President. You have to listen to me.'

They all turned towards the source and tried to stifle their laughter. Braxiatel put down his notes and walked over to where the self proclaimed president was sleeping.

After several failed attempts at waking said student, Braxiatel said in a loud voice' Lord President.'

The student jerked awake and looked around sleepily.

'Whaaaa...'

Braxiatel did a mock bow. 'My Lord, would you been so kind as to tell us the correct sequence for dematerializing a time capsule?'

The others tactfully hid their smiles behind books while the student struggled to come up with an answer.

'First set the synchronic feedback checking circuit .Then the multiloop stabilizer, and finally dematerialize.'

Braxiatel smiled. 'You forgot to set the coordinates, my lord. So now your capsule is probably randomly flitting about in space. Provided, of course, that it didn't explode because you omitted to check the gravitic anmoliser.'

The door suddenly opened and an annoyed looking Time Lord poked his head in.

'Braxiatel, if you can't keep your class quiet I'll make another complaint to the Chancellor. What's so funny I can't understand.'

'The Lord President can't fly a time capsule properly.' One of the students informed the man breathlessly , who in turn shot a puzzled look at Braxiatel.

'I'll explain later.'

The man glared at him. 'Well whatever you're doing. Kindly do it quietly.'


	13. Sounds In The Night

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

Cardinal Borusa hummed to himself as he walked down the hallway towards his office. To be honest, he couldn't wait to leave the Academy. He was getting much too old to be dealing with hyper-active children. Kids these days had no respect for authority, Borusa thought to himself. When he became Chancellor(and he had no doubt that he would)he would have to change that.

Borusa froze as he heard something, it sounded like footsteps, but they were too quiet to make out. "Who's there?" He asked, turning and scanning the darkness. The corridors were silent and after a few moments he continued on his way. Almost immediately the footsteps started again, following him steadily.

He stopped and the footsteps stopped. Borusa turned again, but he still couldn't see anything. "Who's there?" He called. When there was no reply he tried again, raising his voice. Again there was only silence. Straightening his back, he turned and marched ahead, ignoring the footsteps behind him.

Suddenly a shrill scratching sound filled the halls, seeming to reverberate in his chest. Borusa stopped in his tracks, his heartsbeats unconsciously rising. Now Borusa, like all Time Lords, was rational and logical. He didn't believe in ghosts, but even he couldn't deny that something spooky was going on here. He quickened his pace and hurried along the halls. The scratching sound persisted and he covered his ears, trying to shut it out.

He was glad no one was around to see him like this. Imagine if someone found out that he, a Cardinal, was scared of sounds. He would never live it down. He was just musing on this when a bucket full of something cold and slimy fell on him, drenching his robes. Without thinking twice, he hared down the hall.

Romana snickered quietly as she watched Cardinal Borusa disappear into the darkness. "I've never seen Cardinal Borusa run so fast."

Saffron groped around on the floor, picking up the bucket. "I don't think I've ever seen Cardinal Borusa run."


	14. Who Should Be President

I **don't own any characters you recognize.**

"Flavia, could you please hurry up and pick a part so we can start?"

Flavia looked up from the datapad and frowned. "Why can't I be Gold Usher?"

Romana heaved a sigh. "Because there's no Gold Usher in this story. And even if there was, you couldn't be him."

"Why not?"

"Because you're not boring enough." Saffron chimed in.

"I can be boring." Flavia retorted, then realized her mistake and tried to backtrack. "I mean I'm not boring..Imean..errr."

"And this is exactly why you can't Gold Usher."

"Fine. I'll be one of the candidates."

Saffron leapt up from her seat, smoothed down her robes and started to walk forward. "Today is my resignation day and I shall now name my successor." She said in a low, wheezy voice. She took a few shakey steps, opened her mouth, then clutched her chest and let out a dramatic moan. "My hearts. Oh, my hearts.." Romana had to stifle a giggle as Saffron collapsed with a dramatic flourish.

She stepped forward and gasped. "The president has died without naming his successor. What shall we do now?"

"We will have to hold an election." Flavia declared, stepping forward

Romana shook her head. "Everyone knows that the president would have named me, The Chancellor, as his successor, if he had stayed alive long enough to do so."She tossed her hair imperiously.

Saffron let out an amused snort and Romana nudged her to keep quiet.

"But I am smarter and stronger than you. I would be a much better president. Besides, I am younger than you and I would have a much longer reign." Flavia insisted.

Romana rolled her eyes. "I'm more popular with the chapters and I would definitely win in an election. You're nobody."

Flavia let out a growl. "Then I'll incite civil war. I'll take the office by force." She paused. "I'll get the CIA to help me, then we'll see who becomes president."

"The Chancellory Guard would destroy the CIA." Romana scoffed.

"No, they wouldn't." Saffron piped up from her position on the floor.

Romana looked confused. "They wouldn't?"

"Of course not." Saffron climbed to her feet and perched on a chair. "The Chancellory Guard is mainly for ceremonial purposes. They're nice to look at, but not much use in an actual fight."

"What about the Castellan?" Flavia asked.

Saffron let out a shriek of laughter. "Castellan Kelnerwould be useless in a fight.'

"He would most likely run away." Romana added.


	15. Pandora

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

It was back. The voice that she had heard in her dreams, whispering things that she could never quite recall when she woke up.

Romana strained to hear what it was saying. It was so soft, as if it was coming from somewhere quite distant. All she could make out was her name, it had something to do with her, of that she was certain.

She wondered if she was going mad. No one else had heard this mysterious voice and hearing things no one else could was probably a sign of mental illness . But Romana couldn't help herself, even if it was all in her head, she was curious about what it might be.

The harder she tried, the softer the voice became. Almost as if it were drawing her in, teasing her with its mysterious content. Romana was caught in its power, she simply had to know. The voice grew clearer. She leaned forward unconsciously.

She jumped as someone snapped their fingers in front of her face. The sudden shock jerked her back to reality. She was sitting in the library.

'Are you alright? You were staring into space for a long time.'

Romana shook herself. Everything seemed strange, as though she had just come out of a trance. Her friend was still looking at her in concern.

'I'm fine.' She answered as she brushed her hair back. 'I'm just a bit tired.'

She tried to hear the voice again, but it had vanished completely. Romana stared at her book. She had been so close to hearing what it was saying. Her hearts had been filled with anticipation and excitement, while her mind was telling her not to listen. Romana chuckled quietly to herself, perhaps she was going mad after all.


	16. The Art Of The Braid

**I don't own any characters you recognize.**

'Why do I have to do this?' Saffron asked as she sat down on the chair.

'Because you're such a good roommate?' Romana blinked at her innocently.

Saffron didn't look convinced. 'Why can't you do this with your own hair?'

'Because your hair is longer. Besides, how am I suppose to braid my own hair?'

Her roommate fell silent as Romana drew a comb through her hair.

Romana tried her best to be gentle, but she had never braided hair before. Saffron winced as Romana accidentally tugged her hair. She tried to pull away but Romana yanked her back, causing her to wince again.

'Do you have to be so rough ?'

'I wouldn't have to if you just stayed still.' Romana retorted.

Saffron turned her head slightly. 'I am staying still. You're the one who keeps pulling my hair.'

'Like this?' Romana said in a mischievous voice, giving her hair another gentle tug.

Saffron reached back and tried to swat her hand away. Romana laughed and leant back to avoid being hit. 'Just Relax. I'm almost done.'

'There.' Romana said as she finally finished. 'You look lovely.'

Saffron got up and stretched. Her legs were stiff from sitting so long. 'I guess that wasn't so bad. Even if you kept pulling my hair.'

Romana jumped up and pretended to lunge, but Saffron danced out of reach.

Romana looked at the data pad, then at her friend. 'So, do you want to try another one?'

Saffron turned and stared at her.

'No!'


End file.
